Last year I started a Best Performances of the year list mostly because of the overabundance of great performances at Live Earth. Despite the lack of any major cultural event, I thought I would continue the list for at one more year. Here the live performances that caught my ear this year. I have links to YouTube for those that have yet been pulled and there are even a couple that are sold on iTunes so check out the button for those.
1. Stronger/Hey Mama - Kanye West and Daft Punk (Grammy Awards)
2. Just Stand Up - Carrie Underwood, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Nicole Scherzinger , Natasha Bedingfield, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Keyshia Cole, Ashanti and Ciara (Stand Up 2 Cancer)
3. Burning Up/Ray of Light - The Stooges (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony)
4. Slow Dancing in a Burning Room - John Mayer (Where the Light Is)
This may have been the easiest list to make ever because lets face it, there is nothing more entertaining than boob pong. After that it was a race for the other twenty-nine. I have embedded the first couple videos, the rest you can click the link to follow to YouTube and if you are interested in buying the videos, click the iTunes links.
After the most mediocre year last year (see 30 Best Albums of 2007) I thought 2008 was looking up while listening through the almost 200 potential songs that will appear in next week’s Best Songs of 2008 list. Despite being plethora of great songs, there were not really any great albums. There were plenty of good albums released in the last twelve months and here they are.
If you are interested in reading my original review of these albums, check out the link below the album and if you are interested in buying them on iTunes, click on the album link. If you want to buy the physical CD, head over to Scooter McGavin’s Amazon Store where you can order them there:
A strange thing happened while compiling this year’s worst songs list: I actually had a hard time coming up with forty songs. Usually I can easily come up with a list off the top of my head. I am not sure if it was because there actually didn’t release as many bad songs as usual this year or if I was able to avoid them better this year. But in the end I was actually able to come up with the usual forty to signify the death of Top 40 radio. Here are the songs that made my ears bleed the last three hundred and sixty-five days. Wait, sixty-six, it was leap year. And don’t forget the extra second they are tacking onto the end of this year.
Survivor: When Sugar came in second for the fan vote I wondered why would anyone actually voted for her. Then it donned on me that the rest of the cast was really that unlikeable. All the people I may have latched myself to, except for Bob, were booted early. Then you have someone like Corrine who tried to be a horrible person which Survivor should never catch someone like every again. Having a curmudgeon like Randy is fine if that is him, but having someone who is mean just in hopes to more screen time is the fastest way to get me to stop watching the show. In the end this was one of the top five worst seasons ever and would have been in the bottom two with the season where the porn star won had it not been for Bob’s fake immunity idol because there is nothing better on television today then when someone tries to play a fake immunity idol. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube.
Rock of Love: Charm School: With last Sunday log jam I was happy when Doug informed me that this was just a recap and not the finale like I thought. But after word came out that Sharon Osborne beat the crap out of one of the contestants during reunion show, I wish they would just skip the finale and show the reunion show this week.
The Big Bang Theory: I have to agree with Sheldon (which happens a little too much) on the giving gift thing and the whole trying to put a monetary value on your relationship and the worry that you will spend much less or more than the other person. And after building it up all episode, I thought they wouldn’t be able to pay off the gift but the Nimoy napkin was priceless. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.
Chuck: One thing that bugs me about the show, and this episode definitely is included in the gripe, is Chuck conveniently flashes on certain things but not on others that you would think were in the Intercet. Like how he conspicuously didn’t flash on anything from the car crasher, but did on the hostage negotiator. And it was a little odd that knowing he was Fulcrum, Chuck gave Captain Awesome the green light on the ambush. Why did the general agree with no bumrushing the dude because it would blow their cover? Would anyone bat and eye if Casey took someone down even if they had a gun? And despite the missing toe, Casey should have made it to the Christmas tree farm at some point. With that said, maybe the most enjoyable episode of the year. Seriously, more Carl Winslow please. For a second I thought that was actually Big Mike playing both roles, they look so much a like. You can stream current episodes over at NBC.com. You can also download Chuck on iTunes.
How I Met Your Mother: The marketing people over at the show must have been asleep this week because how could Barney’s Christmas Medley not get uploaded to iTunes? And since it isn’t, anyone who has the MP3, shout me a holla. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube. You can also download The Big Bang Theory on iTunes.
Pushing Daisies: What I really like most about this show (asides from anything that comes out of Emerson’s mouth of course) is that it seems like they always cast people I know, and for the most part like, from something else like this week when the Orlando Jones and the chick from Love Monkey. You can stream current episodes over at ABC.com.
Gary Unmarried: I never really have anything to say about Gary Unmarried except that the main plot always seems to connect with something in my past. Like this week’s paint ball exposition hit a little too close to home. Like how I now know never wear shorts and a t-shirt no matter how hot it is that day because exposed skin and paintball do not go very well together. And when you are playing Capture the Flag when there is just one flag in the middle of the course, do not, under any circumstance offer voluntarily to try to catch the other team off guard and run out and try to get that flag as soon as the game starts. You can stream current episodes over at Innertube.
Quote of the Week: Well, then allow me to put this to you delicately. You see, men are dogs. They come, you know, sniffing around, barking up your tree. But if they don’t see a kitty cat up in that tree, pretty soon they stop barking. Dwight’s not missing. He's barking up somebody else’s tree. (Emerson Cod, Pushing Daisies)
Song of the Week: Barney’s Christmas Medley - Barney Stinson (How I Met Your Mother)
Big News of the Week: Design Your Own The Office T-Shirt: Here is a cool offer if you are a fan of slave labor. Head over to NBC.com to design your own t-shirt dedicated to The Office. A grand prize is awarded to one lucky fan who would be chosen by producers of The Office and will be sold through the NBCStore.com. And that is pretty much the whole prize, no Dundie and it sounds like NBC won’t even cut you in on the profits your shirt makes for the site.
Gratuitous Token Hot Chick Picture of the Week:
Coalition Links of the Week: Buzz reflected on the year Grey's Anatomy went totally crazy. (BuzzSugar)
This week Team GMMR shared our TV on DVD wish list. What's TV series are on your list? Here's to hoping Santa likes TV as much as the rest of us. (Give Me My Remote)
Which EW 2008 Pop Culture moment photo, recreated by the gang at How I Met Your Mother, do you love best? Vance wants you to vote on it! Vance thinks it's a toss up between the Michael Phelps Olympics one and The Jonas Brothers one. Either way, Neil Patrick Harris is hot. (Tapeworthy)
This week, Jace once again took a look into the future, offering advance reviews of Season Three of HBO's Big Love and the Skins season finale on BBC America. (Televisionary)
Amy Poehler's send-off on Saturday Night Live was bittersweet -- Jesse was sad to see her go, but glad that she left on what could be the best episode of the season thus far! (TiFaux)
This week, the TV Addict poked fun at NBC's latest attempt to cut costs. (The TV Addict)
Free Download of the Week: Being the last Free Download of the year and everyone seems to be in a giving mood here is a list of some cool free stuff. And of course there is also the free iTunes or Amazon gift card you can win just by sending me your favorite songs of the year:
Video of the Week: Kenneth the Page has a new edition to his Kenneth the Web Page and here it is:
Next Week Pick of the Week: Leverage, Tuesday at 10:00 on TNT: It seems to be a light week thanks to the holidays but for those that cannot stomach spending all that time with your family and have overdosed on The Christmas Story marathon by the third hour, Leverage offers up their Christmas episode. Had I waited an extra month to post the list, the show would have easily been number one on my Best New Shows of Fall 2008 and this episode is the best of the first four and features D.B. Sweeney as a priest whose church the gang tries to save from being bought from a shady business man.
Just when you thought emo was dead and buried, Kanye West of all people made an album that rivals anything My Chemical Romance did in terms of whiney nonsense. Aside from Kanye’s lovelorn 808’s and Heartbreak the only other big emo albums released this year are by band that really are not that emo other than their penchant for eyeliner and tight leather pants.
Yeah Fall Out Boy started the trend of absurdly long song title that seem to go away in between Meatloaf albums and features more punctuation than daytime PBS shows. But there songs tend to be chipper especially compared to other bands that broke on the Warped Tour over the past decade. The Boys would like you to think they don’t care (as heard on the first single off Folie à Deux) but their problem is they care too much.
This is most evident on the opening song, Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes, song that could have been up their with othe rwannabe The Who rock anthems but they end up ruining by trying to hard to add too much too the song, specifically for the song with the silly chanting of “Detox just to retox” at the end of the song. And that goes throughout the album where they take a perfectly catchy song and tinker too much with it to the point the four lines Elvis Costello sings on What a Catch, Donnie comes and goes without you even thinking it was him.
Then there are The All-American Rejects who have been thrown in with the emo crowd despite sounding more like a band on the Sunset Strip in the eighties than My Bloody Valentine. And like those eighties band, they may not be writing the most profound or musically challenging songs, but they aim to please which they do for their core audience with the addition of sing along choruses like in Give You Hell. In fact most song seems built for audience participation for their live shows.
But three albums in, the latest being When the World Comes Down, you can’t help but think the band has already run out of ideas like the guitars in I Wanna is only like a half a second different than those that start off Swing Swing. The Rejects do add the sweet title track to their repertoire and Catherine and Allison Pierce add some brevity to Another Heart Calls. But it was the lack of change that doomed those bands on The Strip to VH1 reality shows two decades later and if they don’t embraces change Tyson Ritter might be expecting a call form the channel in a couple years.
When the World Comes Down gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.
The last time I talked about a special on the National Geographic Channel I mentioned that the narration sounded like something you would here from a video a science teacher popped in when he was too lazy to come up with a lesson plan which I have since realized was pretty silly because National Geographic is really the go to for lazy science teachers. So that point was a little mute. But anyways.
The most recent special from the channel debuting tonight really isn’t something for the science teachers, but maybe more suited for lazy social studies teachers with Secrets of the Kung Fu Temple. And as a fan of the Wu-Tang Clan and all their Shaolin references, this is right up my alley. Granted it is a little off setting having the curtain pulled back to see the Shaolin Monks using computers and cell phone and interjecting hip hop dancing into their traveling show. You can check out a preview video over at nationalgeographic.com and below are some more photos from the show:
Last week I mentioned that this would be the last Christmas in Washington for George Bush but apparently last year was his last because he did not actually show up this year. Not sure if he did not want to share the bill with Straight No Chaser or he was trying to peel shoes out of his grill. But the moderately attractive Julianne Hough is still showing so that is good enough for me. And Kristin Chenoweth is being counter-programmed against Olive Snook. Or just catch the 11:00 re-airing. Here is the full line up:
TNT’s CHRISTMAS IN WASHINGTON, the annual holiday concert event now in its 27th year. Taped at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., and premiering on TNT Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
WHO: Performances will include Casting Crowns (“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”); Kristin Chenoweth (“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “What Child is This”); Julianne Hough (“Jingle Bell Rock,” “Santa Baby” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”); Darius Rucker (“If I Had Wings”); Raphael Saadiq (“Merry Christmas, Baby”); and Straight No Chaser (“Carol of the Bells” and “The 12 Days of Christmas”). Dr. Phil & Robin McGraw host. First Lady Laura Bush is among the honored guests for the hour-long holiday concert.
WHEN: TNT Premiere: Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. (ET/PT) TNT Encores: Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. (ET/PT)
There have been a couple of videos that have caught my eye lately so I though I’d give them some love since the death of Musical Television left a void for a forum on the art form. If you are interested in buying the video through iTunes, click the title link (where available). If you are interested in buying the song, look for a link in the analysis.
I had some fear that Lily Allen would hit a sophomore slump after deciding not to work with Mark Ronson on her second album (she eventually did), but those fears were subsided with a solid debut single off an album you can find sometime in February. And she hasn’t mellowed much as she rightfully put Katy Perry on blast for ripping her off but without actually writing her own songs. Oh snap. And for those that like to participate in Lyric Quizzes, you may want to pay close attention to this song).
Also coming out with a new album in February (and you also want to pay close attention to the lyrics) is The Fray. Sophomore slump is also a concern for the band, but this song has grown on me since I first heard it in the cheesy Lost promotion.
One song you won’t find in this month’s Lyrics Quiz is by Butch Walker though I did plan on including the line about the girl making mixtapes even though she was born the year he graduated high school. As obsessive compulsive (no seriously, check out my iTunes playlists sometime) I am about stuff like that, even I forget things sometimes.
A week from today I will unveil the Best Albums of 2008 and I may have a review from The All-American Rejects before then although I am not entirely sure they will make the list. But as I compile the list I have come to the conclusion that there were plenty of great songs this year but really no great albums.
The songs are listed chronologically from when I put them in my iTunes playlist that helps me track the best songs throughout the years. As always leave your guesses, both artist and song title, in the comment section or e-mail me. If you are correct I will un-bold the lyric. Please keep in mind the lyrics quiz is for entertainment purposes only so please only use your own meandering mind to guess them. Now onto the last lyric quiz of the year:
1. You said I must eat so many lemons ‘cause I am so bitter. I said I would rather be with your friends, mate, because they are fitter. (Foundations - Kate Nash; guessed by Akosua) 2. There are times when the poets and porn stars align and you won’t know who to believe in, well that’s a good time to be leaving. (Shine - Anna Nalick; guessed by Julie) 3. I don’t know who I am, who I am without you, all I know is that I should. (Where I Stood - Missy Higgins; guessed by Julie) 4. How can we seek salvation when our nation’s race relations got me feeling guilty of being white? 5. But I should of known better cause now I feel like America’s underbelly, R. Kelly, got a smart better less, internet predators, chat-room irregulars. 6. I’ve been spending way too long checking my tongue in the mirror. And bending over backwards just to try to see it clearer. But my breath fogged up the glass so I drew a new face and I laughed. (I'm Yours - Jason Mraz; guessed by Jo) 7. They’ll be girls across the nation that will eat this up. (Bottle it Up - Sara Barilles; guessed by Jo) 8. All the girls in the line for the bathroom. (Everyone Nose - N.E.R.D.; guessed by Rose) 9. I ain’t gonna make the same mistakes that put my momma in her grave. I don’t wanna be alone. (Sweet and Low - Augustana; guessed by Christy) 10. Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the charts. Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art. (Pork and Beans - Weezer; guessed by Rose) 11. Got some bad news this morning which in turn made my day. 12. As the flashbulbs burst, she holds a smile like someone would hold a crying child. (Cath... - Death Cab for Cutie; guessed by Annie) 13. Still in musical prison, in jail for the flow. Try telling Bob Dylan, Bruce, or Billy Joel they can’t say what’s in their soul. 14. Cause you don’t always have to hold your head higher than your heart. (Hope - Jack Johnson; guessed by Liz) 15. For some reason I can’t explain, I know St. Peter won’t call my name. (Viva la Vida - Coldplay; guessed by Rose) 16. I bide my time with physiological questions. Not for nothing, but what came first: the chicken nugget or the Egg McMuffin? 17. Faith and desire in the swing of your hips just hold me down hard and drown me in love. (Come on Get Higher - Matt Nathenson; guessed by Charli) 18. Then the congregation all stood up and sang the saddest song that she ever heard. Then they handed her a folded up flag and she held on to all she had left of him. (Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood; guessed by Jo) 19. All I wanna do is !!!! and * $ and take your money. (Paper Planes - M.I.A.; guessed by Rose) 20. Will those feet in modern time walk on souls that were made in China? (Love is Noise - The Verve; guessed by Rebekah) 21. But this feels so unnatural. Peter Gabriel too. Can you stay up to see the dawn in the colors of Benetton? (Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa - Vampire Weekend; guessed by Liz) 22. I’m just a little bit caught in the middle. Life is the maze and love is the riddle. (The Show - Lenka; guessed by Rebekah) 23. I’m telling you things get better through whatever. If you fall, dust if off, don’t let up. Don’t you know you can go, be your own miracle? (Just Stand Up - Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Etheridge, Natasha Bedingfield, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Carrie Underwood, Keyshia Cole, LeAnn Rimes, Ashanti, Ciara & Mariah Carey; guessed by Rebekah) 24. I’m alive, I know don’t need a witness to know that I survived. I’m not looking for forgiveness. (The Resolution - Jack's Mannequin; guessed by Molly) 25. ‘Cause you were Romeo, I was the Scarlet Letter. (Love Story - Taylor Swift; guessed by Charli) 26. How could you be so Dr. Evil? (Heartless - Kanye West; guessed by Rose) 27. They play Sleepy Jackson on the radio and that’s the way I like it. I hear Beyoncé on the radio and that’s the way I like it. (Catch My Disease - Ben Lee; guessed by Rose) 28. Hottest girl I know, if you had some lipo, you could be second runner up Miss Ohio. (Whatever You Like - "Weird Al" Yankovic; guessed by Mia) 29. I found God on the corner of First and Amistad where The West was all but won. (You Found Me - The Fray; guessed by Rebekah) 30. I’ll take my clothes off and it will be shameless. ‘Cause everyone knows that’s how you get famous. (The Fear - Lily Allen; guessed by Molly)
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